Dark Hope
by morrigane13
Summary: Skylar & Dimitri. This is my imaginings of the progression of their relationship since I am agonizing over their story not being told YET! Please R&R this is my first!
1. Chapter 1

*****Revised Chapter**

**Literary universe not mine!!!**

His mind reached for hers even before he parted the earth, before any conscious thought could stop him. Dimitri could feel her just drifting into sleep, her mind a turbulent cyclone of thoughts – confusion about her Dragonseeker lineage, her place in the Carpathian world, her feelings about him. _Skylar_. How she could sleep with all those thought was beyond him. Then he felt it, the peace that stole through her as she clutched on to a well –loved object to her breasts. As he felt that same peace flow through him he knew with certainty that he would make it through this night.

He rose as always, rejuvenated from the soil. This rejuvenation was like no other, since he had, at last, the opportunity to rest in the soil of his homeland for the first time in centuries. Soon he would have to depart, back to the self-imposed exile that he had changed into a meaningful life. Only now it would be different. For the first time he would see his chosen home in color. For the first time he would be able to feel what it meant to care for his wolves, his foundation, his home. He had done it out of duty for centuries when he felt nothing. How would his life be different now? Would he be able to endure the agony of loneliness while he waited for his lifemate to become adult enough to be his? Would he be able to hold on until she was ready to come to him of her own free will? He tried to still his mind and leave behind the disturbing questions for which he had no answer. For now, all he could do was run as the wolf and join the other hunters in safeguarding their homeland from the vampire.

***

Skylar arose in the early morning, before the first pink streaks of dawn stole across the sky. With her wolf still clutched in her arms, she crossed to the French doors to stare out at the abundance of stars on the moonless night. Then she felt it – a terrible driving need to open the doors and step out onto the balcony. It was almost a compulsion. Hugging her wolf closer to her chest, she eased open the doors and slipped out into the cool night air. She felt the night wrap around her, enveloping her in cool, dark wonder. In the welcoming darkness she felt almost normal. Here no one could see her scars; no one could see her incertitude in every aspect of her life. She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply the night scents. And then she smelled _him_. Her eyes opened and there he was; a mere shadow in front of her, so large he blocked out the stars. She inhaled sharply, startled, but not really surprised. He always knew where she was, always knew when she needed him; just as she felt the acute pain of his suffering, the raw intensity of his new emotions.

"I am sorry to come upon you so suddenly lyubof maya. I did not intend to frighten you." Dimitri bowed to her formally, though his fingers itched to touch her.

"It's alright Dimitri, you didn't frighten me. I sort of knew that you would come."

"Yes, well," he cleared his throat, searching for the right words. "I had to see you tonight. I leave for Russia at the next rising."

At once she felt twin jolts of relief and utter sadness. She could not begin to resolve the war that went on in her between the two conflicting emotions. How could she live without him? How could she accept him?

"Do not dwell on these things that cause you pain, my love. There is no need to resolve anything this night. You will go to France and I will go to Russia. I know you have much to work out in your life right now and I would not impede you in your search for yourself. I would give you the gift of coming to me of your own free will." The words sounded hoarse and scratchy to him. His throat felt constricted. He bowed and turned to go.

"Wait!" She cried holding out one of her hands while the other white-knuckled the wolf crooked in her elbow. She felt his piercing gaze turn back on her in full force and the words in her mind caught in her throat. Tears threatened to spill from her lovely eyes. He reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear in a familiar gesture. It was then that he noticed the wolf she held and a wry smile came to his face.

"You have my friend, I see." He said with pleasure.

"My wolf?" She held it up inquisitively. "Gabriel brought him to me when I was still in the hospital, still so inside my mind that I had no hope of ever living in the light again. He brought me immediate peace and stilled the dreams that plagued me. I did not realize, I mean, I should have put it together that this wolf is from your foundation."

Her cheeks tinged with pink and she glanced away from him. Somehow, she did not want him to leave, but she did not know what she wanted from him. He felt her confusion and stayed perfectly still, waiting for her to make the next move. It was exquisite torture for a man used to taking charge, but he had sworn to give her the reigns and by every shred of honor in him, he would do it.

"Um, will you be alright?"

"I will. I have more hope than many. You are perfect Skylar and when you realize it, you will know where to find me. I cannot promise not to check in on you – I would never last without touching your mind when I feel the monster close in me – but I will wait until you chose me. I will have faith that you will realize that your soul will flourish with mine because I am your other half, the part of your soul that is missing. I will not falter because I know that you will not falter."

"You put too much faith in me," Skylar said in a small voice, her head bowed.

"I do not, lyubof maya, you have so much to work out, but make no mistake, your spirit is pure steel. The day you realize that is the day that you will come to the wild."

_Skylar_. His voice whispered in her mind. _I know I swore I would not, but I must as you for one thing, one promise to take with me, to hold me to you in the years I wait for your acceptance_.

_What? What can I give you?_ Her heart beat painfully her chest, but no matter what her apprehension, she knew she would say yes.

_One kiss._ He held his breath, waiting for her response. He saw the fear and desire spark in her eyes, each warring for dominance. After long moments she took a step forward and he felt the air release from his lungs, still, he did not move. He didn't dare move for fear that she would retreat from him.

The first touch of her hand on his cheek nearly undid him. Only his superior will power kept him rooted to the spot as he felt her fingers curl around his neck. Though tremors ran up her arm, her grip was firm and sure, pulling him down to her. The first touch of her lips was explosive. The both rolled back slightly, as if they had received an electric shock, then came together again. Dimitri gripped her hips and hauled her into the warm heat of his body. Skylar threw both arms around his neck, the wolf flying carelessly to the ground. They were both going up in flames, oblivious to anything beyond the intensity swamping them. Dimitri's hands smoothed out over her back, pulling her even closer – as if he could absorb her through his pores. Skylar could not control her hands as they tunneled into his wealth of hair, cradling his head to prevent his escape. He parted her lips and swallowed her gasp as his tongue snaked into her mouth. Never in her life had she felt anything as consuming as the heat he generated in her. Tentatively she slid her tongue against his, unable to control her reaction to him.

They lost track of time as they stood there, gripping on to each other as if they would each drown without the touch of the other. Summoning every ounce of control he possessed Dimitri lifted his lips from hers, though he could not bring himself to release her body. Instead he rested his forehead against hers and concentrated on bringing both of their breathing and pulses under control. Dimitri could feel her shaking in his arms, but she continued to cling to him, her eyes closed. When he felt her body still and her senses returned he reluctantly loosened his hold on her and allowed her body to slide down the hot length of his.

Though it caused him intense pain, he stepped away from her. As he bowed stiffly, he saw the wolf at her feet and bent to retrieve it. When he looked at her she stood, both arms at her sides, her expression stunned, as though in a trance. He folded the wolf into her embrace then allowed himself one last touch, running his hands up her arms to the delicate skin of her face. He held her there, drinking in the sight of her one last time, as though he could carry the memory of her like a photograph in his mind. Since he could think of nothing to say and he could not take her in his arms again, he turned and jumped from the balcony, shapeshifting to the owl almost instantly.

Skylar stood there, unable to move until the first streaks of morning began to illuminate the sky behind the majestic mountains. As feeling returned to her body she lifted her hand to her face and was surprised when her fingers came away wet. How had she not felt the tears streaming down her face when she felt that her heart had been wrenched out of her chest? Unable to assimilate all of the feelings tearing through her body, Skylar returned to her bed, gripping her wolf tightly to her chest. She laid there, eyes open but unseeing, her mind focused on her lifemate locked deep in the ground.


	2. Chapter 2

*****Revised Chapter**

**Literary universe not mine!!!**

When Francesca came into her daughter's room that evening she found Skylar lying on her bed clutching the wolf tightly to her chest, tears streaming silently down her face. Those crystal droplets were the only indication of emotion in the girl. One look at those sightless eyes and the small body curled into the fetal position sent Francesca into a state of abject terror. _Do you have need of me?_ Gabriel's voice was clear in her head. She sent him back a clear negation, wanting to be the one to bring her daughter back from wherever her sadness had taken her.

"What is wrong Skylar? What has happened?" Francesca sank down onto the floor next to the bed and took Skylar's face in her hands, wiping away the tears that streamed unheeded down her daughter's face.

"He is gone." The trembling voice was hoarse; barely a whisper of noise, but it carried so much pain and sorrow that Francesca was nearly swamped by it. There was no need to ask whom Skylar spoke of. There was only one person that could have caused Skylar to feel such deep sorrow at his leaving. Dimitri, her daughter's lifemate. Francesca knew all too well what it was like to have your lifemate walk away from you, to exist with the bleak absence where the other half of your should have been. And worse, Skylar and Dimitri shared a blood-bond. That would only serve to increase the awareness of his absence in her daughter's life, make the pain more acute. But there was no sense in wishing away events that had already occurred. No matter how powerful her people were, Francesca knew that it was not within the realm of their power to change the past. Had that been a possibility, Francesca would have moved heaven and earth to remove the unforgivable horrors Skylar had been subjected to her entire short life. But there was only the future to change, to make into a life full of joy and love.

"He has gone back to Russia." Skylar continued; her voice a little stronger now.

"How do you know?" Francesca sighed mentally as she rubbed Skylar's back, trying to sooth her with healing hands.

"He came to see me before the dawn this morning."

Francesca inhaled sharply. How had he been here, on her property undetected by herself, undetected by Gabriel? It was inconceivable! Was he really that powerful to have evaded detection by two ancients? She could hear Gabriel's disbelief echoing in her mind as strong as her own.

"He was here in the house?" Francesca queried, trying to keep the shock from her voice.

"On the balcony," Skylar affirmed. "I stepped out to see the stars, to feel the night around me. It is the one time when I feel true peace, you know. Then he was there, in front of me. He came to say goodbye." Tears began to fall silently down her cheeks again.

_Please_ _do not cry for us lyubof maya. We both know that I had to go, or I could not have been honorable with you. _Skylar instantly bit her lip to hold back the tears.

_I know you are right, and I thank you Dimitri, more than I could ever say._

_It is alright, little one. Words are not necessary. I can feel you. I will always feel you no matter how far apart we are. _

She could feel the brush of his fingers over her cheek, as though he could eliminate the wetness from her cheeks from a thousand miles away. She felt him begin to extricate himself from her mind and it took everything in her not to protest his withdrawal. She silently reprimanded herself. She knew it hurt him just as much as it hurt her, maybe more. She had no right to be such a baby. What had he said to her the night before? That she had a spirit of steel. She did not believe that this was the truth, but she vowed in that moment that she would make it so.

"Francesca." Skylar instantly sat up, her eyes bright with a new-found resolve. "I know that Dimitri is doing what is right and honorable for me, and I must do the same for him. I must become the woman that he sees in me. I've spent years in the shadows of my own mind, terrified to come out, yet terrified to illuminate the darkness inside myself and know the truth. I can't hide any longer. If Dimitri can face the darkness for me, I can do no less for him."

"What do you mean, Skylar?" Francesca relied, her worry for her daughter apparent on her face. "You must do nothing but enjoy the childhood that you have long been denied."

"No, Francesca, no matter how much you and Gabriel want to give it to me, childhood is something that I can never have. I wouldn't want it now, though I thank you for wishing to give it to me." And she knew that it was true. Childhood could not exist for her now, there was no going back. She could only go forward. She had to illuminate her past and allow it to burn. Then she could rise anew from the ashes and build a life she could be proud of. She could be the person she was meant to be. Lifemate to Dimitri.


	3. Chapter 3

*****Revised Chapter**

**Literary universe not mine!!!**

Dimitri felt his own steady heartbeat in the darkness of the earth. His mind soared free of its own volition, before he could tamp down on his need for her. He could feel the stillness of her mind in sleep. She had slowly been changing her schedule over the last year, staying up more and more during the night hours and sleeping during the day. Whereas before he had been only a shadow in her dreams, now he shared her waking mind. This caused him both exquisite pleasure and exquisite torment. As he parted the earth and floated out of the ground he mused over the heaven and hell he was enduring living in her mind.

Once Skylar made up her mind to do something, she did with her whole heart. In all his years Dimitri had never witnessed such an implacable resolve in a female. Not that he had been in the company of many females, but he had always considered them a soft and gentle race, capable only of imparting peace, joy, and nurturing to the world. Each new night in his lifemate's mind altered his worldview considerably. In fact, the tower of his illusion regarding the female of the species was slowly toppling and he was having a difficult time scrambling to pick up the pieces and salvage some of his superior resolve.

He could still remember the day she had put him in his place for the first time. After deciding that she would make herself into a woman she herself could love and respect, Skylar had convinced her parents Francesca and Gabriel to take her to Seattle, a city a continent away. Skylar had a very clear plan in mind to confront her past and she would allow nothing and no one to divert her from her chosen path. So she, Gabriel, Francesca, and Tamara – Gabriel and Francesca's small daughter – traveled to Seattle to seek out Mary Ann. Skylar had met her during the Christmas reunion in the Carpathian Mountains. Mary Ann worked with women who were victims of physical and sexual abuse and Skylar felt that she would be more comfortable talking to a woman that she knew than one that she had never met.

Upon arriving in Seattle they had discovered that Mary Ann was no longer there. After some searching by Gabriel, they discovered that Mary Ann had gone to South America. And did that stop his woman? No, he thought with a smirk. She just went about wheedling her parents until it seemed logical to take the opportunity to go to South America to visit Colby De La Cruz, who was lifemate to Rafael, a noted Carpathian, and half-sister to Skylar. Both Colby and Skylar were children of Razvan, a powerful mage turned vampire. They had been conceived with the sole purpose of supplying their father with life-giving blood. But Colby's mother had been jaguar and Colby had escaped the horrible fate Skylar had suffered. It seemed natural for Skylar to want to forge a bond with those blood-related to her, now that she had found them. Besides, Colby had taken on one of the De La Cruz brothers and that, to Skylar's way of thinking, was nearly as big a burden as taking on Dimitri. And oh how he had laughed when that thought had winged through her head. He was so shocked by his reaction to her that a stiff wind over the tundra would have knocked him over. He had not laughed in over three hundred years. Yet here he was, in the middle of the wild, alone, laughing like a loon because she thought him a burden.

_You are the burden little one, not I. _ An inelegant grunt of disgust had been her only response to his taunt. He found himself clinging to small moments like this one, a balm on his soul when everything else without her was bleak and barren.

Dimitri had not been prepared for how deadly serious Skylar had been about facing the demons of her past, one by one. She began with the one's that she deemed the most fixable – her trauma from years of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. It had taken time for her to connect with Mary Ann. That woman had had her own difficulties and by the time Skylar was able to work with her, Mary Ann had been converted to the Carpathian race and was now lifemate to Manolito, another formidable De La Cruz brother. This only served to assure Skylar that this woman would be the one who could help her. Mary Ann warned her that dealing with the past would take time. It would require great patience and a willingness to open every part of herself so that she could know it, accept it, grieve it, then heal from it. Dimitri had resolved to be with her every moment, to shoulder as much of the pain as he could. He could not bear to think of her suffering again.

Skylar, however, had other plans. When she began her sessions with Mary Ann she was aware of Dimitri in her mind. It did not bother her that he saw her shame and agony, a fact that astonished her. She rationalized it to herself with the thought that if they were to be together some day, he would have to know every gory detail and make peace with each one, just as she would. The fact that each day her acceptance of the inevitability of their relationship grew was like a balm on Dimitri's soul. He had not imagined how uncomfortable it would be without her. His world had returned to grey within hours of leaving the Carpathian Mountains. His emotions too were waning. He could only feel the echoes of them bursting over him when he mentally connected to her, but he figured that they were actually her emotions he felt during those times, rather than his own.

When she began to feel the pain of remembering, he had tried to shoulder the burden for her, to alleviate the agony he felt in her soul so that it only briefly touched her before being shifting into him. Skylar evidently felt the sensation of her torment being swept away because it did not take her more than a second to realize what Dimitri was doing and she was furious. Her birthmark had burned as she held up a hand to Mary Ann to halt the session. Then she had focused the full attention of her wrath towards Dimitri. An ocean away he could feel her like a burn racing along his heart and then there was ice, an immovable, unbreakable glacier. He could hear her words in his head, each word clearly enunciated.

_You will not take this from me. _

_Skylar, I am your lifemate, I cannot knowingly allow you to experience this much pain._

_You must Dimitri. If I do not feel it, I cannot defeat it. I want you with me, I need you with me, but if you take my pain from me, I swear on all that is holy I will find a way to shut you out. Please, don't make me do it. I need you with me. I need you in my mind. Please. Promise me._

It was the most difficult promise he had ever made, more difficult than the promise that had led him to exile himself to the wilds of Russia. He could have easily forced her compliance, but something in the tone of her voice stopped him. She had never said that she wanted him before. She had never said that she needed him before. If he forced her compliance, it could do irreparable damage to the fragile bonds of trust they had formed during the past months. His first instinct was to protect her despite the cost, but there, firmly entrenched in her mind, was the pain of being forced into compliance by so many other males. If he did this to her, he would be no better in her eyes than those who had so brutally hurt her. Intentions were nothing to Skylar, actions were everything.

Dimitri could feel her relief at his mental acquiescence. Amazingly he felt her move closer to him as she opened her mind fully to him. Instinctively he reached mental arms to wrap around her waist to bolster her strength. He felt her spine stiffen in immediate gut-reaction, but then she relaxed and merged her strength with his. He could feel her small hands resting on top of his, holding him to her as she prepared to break down the barrier to her pain and lay herself bare.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello all

Hello all! I am back in the world of the living! RL has been attacking me from all sides, but (despite my reasons for my literary absence) I apologize profusely for abandoning this story for so long. I am going to make my best effort to finish this story before I go back to school this fall because I am a Nursing student and time is often a luxury that is absent in my life during the semester. Luckily my daughter was nice enough to let me borrow her laptop since mine has decided it would rather vacation at Club HP Tech Support!

I also want to say how much I appreciate the lovely comments that you all have left for me. I just had the opportunity to read them and they gave me the motivation to get back on the bandwagon and write! Sorry this one is so short, but I have another one coming up very soon after (it is more than ½ way done - promise!) I hope you all enjoy!

He could feel the sweat trickle down his back as her pain and agony tore through him. Hadn't it been enough that she had been physically tortured and abused by vile men for more than two thirds of her short life? There were moments when Dimitri had thought he wouldn't live through the horror of her memories, but he had forced himself to feel every one like a million shards of glass in his heart. He felt the tension ease as she relaxed and let the memories slide away into oblivion. Almost immediately he mentally backed away from her; then, like clockwork, he felt her mind slide against his. He felt her heart pouring into him to sooth the pain and rage he had held back while she dealt with her own. Her care and concern for him were palpable, as was her distress at being the cause of his pain. He relaxed and opened his mind to her; he allowed himself to feel the bliss of their hearts and minds beating a synchronous rhythm. He had long since abandoned his efforts to shield her from his pain. It seemed that they were destined to break and heal together, time after time.

Now Skylar faced a new set of torturous memories, ones buried deep within her subconscious mind. They were the memories of unspeakable tortures enacted upon her by her sire, a mage-turned-vampire named Razvan. He was of the Dragonseeker lineage, which meant that Skylar was Dragonseeker as well. Her aunt, Razvan's sister Natalya, was a formidable woman. Dimitri knew that Skylar's dream was to become as strong a mage as Natalya so that she might one day kill her father. She felt that she could prevent him from inflicting the same torture she herself had suffered on any other children Razvan may have fathered.

Dimitri could appreciate her desire for justice, though he knew that he would be the one to someday yank Razvan's undead heart from his chest and incinerate it. The desire do deal out justice for his lifemate was one of the twin candles that burned in his soul and kept him from darkness while he suffered in the absence of his other half. Skylar was the other candle and she burned the brightest inside him. Each time she reached out to him of her own free will was like a tie binding him to her and to this life. Every time he felt the darkness rising in him he held her image in his mind, just as she had been that evening on the balcony. Her grey-blue eyes full of fear and trust renewed his honor and resolve. The feel of her lips moving tentatively against his called him back to life and in those moments he could see the brilliance of the world in color and feel the joy of holding her close at last. He had wanted to take her then and there; just snatch her up against his chest and fly away to the north. It took all of his strength, more even than it took to vanquish the undead, to step away from her. But Prince Mikhail's words rang in his ears; "allow her to come to you whole, healed and of her own free will - it is much more than most of us have given our lifemates." And so, he had left her there with the last of the night's moonlight glinting off her golden hair.

Now he was glad he had done it. Living in the cradle of her mind as she blossomed into a strong and resilient woman was a gift he could never have conceived of. She was unlike any female he had ever known in his youth, when he had still lived in the Carpathian Mountains. His mother had been submissive and had looked to his father in all things. His father had gladly dominated and had never, to Dimitri's knowledge, asked his mother her opinion or preference about anything. In fact, it had been rare for his mother to even leave the house. Dimitri had been sure he had wanted the same thing – a lifemate who would look to him for all things and allow him to see to her every care. He had imagined that she would gladly defer to him; allowing him to make her life perfectly happy and make up for all the pain she had suffered when he could not aid her.

The Christmas gathering had changed him. He realized that he had never seen his mother look with adoration at his father as he had seen Shea Dubrinski look at her lifemate Jaques; nor had his father ever gone to the lengths Prince Mikhail had at Christmas to fulfill his lifemate Raven's wish for a human Christmas party. His mother and father would never have stood together as one to fight evil as Natalya and Vikirnoff had done. Dimitri realized that he wanted those gifts; he wanted Skylar to do more than accept him as her lifemate and bind herself to him for eternity. He wanted her to love him.


	5. Chapter 5

I don't own 'em, but I hope you enjoy reading about 'em

I don't own 'em, but I hope you enjoy reading about 'em!!

Skylar could hardly believe that she had been in South America for nearly a year. The nights had seemed to fly by quickly since she had fully adjusted to living a nocturnal existence. Skylar had grown accustomed to waking to the feeling of invisible fingers on her cheek and the pain of absolute solitude in her heart. She was never quite sure whether it was his agony alone or their combined emotions she felt, but as she sat in front of the vanity mirror she rubbed a palm along her breastbone and waited for the stabbing feeling to fade.

Tonight she would turn seventeen. Tonight she would be one year closer to what she considered the inevitable – binding herself to Dimitri, a man that filled her with fear and fascination. When she had first come to South America, Skylar had been determined to shut him out of her mind and heart until she was whole enough to make her own decisions and strong enough to stand beside him instead of cower behind him or worse cower from him. How foolish she had been. Ever since her first session with Mary Ann De La Cruz he had been there with her. Skylar remembered the security the feeling of his arms surrounding her produced each time that she connected to her subconscious mind and surrendered to her past pain before letting it go like tears in the wind. He would always hold back his own pain while she suffered and, though she had wanted to deny him, she couldn't bring herself to hide anything from him. When she would collapse exhausted on the sofa, she would feel him pull away from her and his pain would echo through her. She felt horrible for causing him hurt. She could not pull away from his pain any more than he could pull away from hers, so she did the only thing she could; she reached out to him, mind and soul. She wrapped him in the comfort of her compassion just as firmly as he had wrapped himself around her as she healed. In those moments she saw him. His memories flooded into her, at first dismal and grey and filled with killing the undead without compassion. Then other memories came; the feeling of being the wolf and running with the pack, the duty he felt to his homeland and to his chosen home, his desire for her.

With a sigh Skylar slid her fingers up to the place where his necklace rested gently between her breasts. She felt it burning there many times, as if his fingers were touching her. When she closed her eyes she could see the piercing blue of his eyes burned into the back of her eyelids. As she sat alone in her room listening to the sounds of the jungle around her she longed for his presence in her mind. As uncomfortable as being around him was for her at times, she had discovered that he was a man of unfailing honor and moral character. Being in his mind had allowed her to glimpse the care he gave to the land and the creatures of his realm. There was also such a deep well of loneliness and regret in him that she sometimes physically ached from it.

Other times she just ached – for him. When she remembered the feel of his hands in her hair and on her skin that dawn on the balcony, her body burned with unrelenting need. Skylar knew the feel of a man's hands on her body, but never with gentleness and care; never with love. The more she had worked with Mary Ann, the less she had dreaded his touch. She had even begun to experiment touching herself, allowing herself to explore her own sexuality.

"Skylar, are you nearly ready?" Francesca called from the doorway.

"Nearly Francesca, I was having trouble deciding how to wear my hair."

"You were thinking about him, weren't you?"

"Yes," Skylar whispered. "I was thinking about what it will be like to be with him. I don't know if I can imagine never being alone again. Not that I am alone now – I know that you and Gabriel and Tamara are my family and I love you more than I can say, but it is not the same. He has pain that he has had to bear alone, pain so deep that he feels no one could ever understand him or care for him. It is pain like mine. He has taken so much time and energy to be with me, to aid me to heal. It hurts me that he continues to suffer. Francesca, I think that I will go to him sooner than I thought."

"Skylar," Francesca began slowly, "you have changed very much since we came to South America and I am overjoyed to see you emerging like a butterfly from a cocoon. Still, I do not think that you are ready for a Carpathian male in you life; you are still learning our ways and learning about yourself. I wish that you would wait at least until you are twenty-one for us to call Dimitri to our home so that he may court you properly."

As Francesca began to style her hair, Skylar fell into silence and thought. Twenty-one was many years away. She could never condemn him to torment for even that short a time, not when he had already suffered many centuries. Still, how could she disobey the wishes of the two people who had saved her from her slow slip into the abyss?

_Do you have need of me, lubyof maya?_

_No Dimitri, I am well. I just hate to disappoint my mother and father and I know that I will do it. _

_They know that you must live your own life._

_Yes, they know, but they want it to happen slowly; they don't think that I am ready to be an adult yet. _

_You are not an adult yet, little one._

_Argh! You're just as bad as they are – I'm not speaking to you anymore!_ She could hear his deep chuckle reverberate throughout her body.

Giving herself one final look in the mirror, Skylar followed Francesca out of the room and down to her party. The courtyard of the ranch house had been decorated with multi-colored lanterns and several tables had been arranged for the guests to relax and enjoy each other's company. Quiet traditional Brazilian music played from a radio. Many of the South American Carpathians were in attendance, including Skylar's half-sister Colby and her lifemate Rafael. Skylar was very fond of Colby and had come to enjoy her company over the past year. Colby knew as well what it was like to be an oddity and have people despise and shun you for your differences. Though it was their parentage that connected them, Colby seemed uncomfortable discussing both their father and the battle at Christmas between their father and their aunt.

Skylar had felt since Christmas that the mage was in her fighting to be released. She longed to go to her aunt Natalya and learn how to become strong and powerful. She had seen Natalya fight Razvan; she had seen Natalya hurt him and send him running. Skylar desired to have the strength and confidence to do the same. Though she was also a daughter of the mage Razvan, Colby did not seem to possess the desire or propensity to learn the mage-ways. Her mother had been Jaguar, though she seemed to have no great affinity to the cats either. She was a strong psychic and a full Carpathian.

A chill ran from the base of her neck and down her spine. In that moment she felt his unseen eyes watching her, his will seeking her out because there was something he still wanted from her. He had long since ceased to take her blood. Why now would he seek to force her into his service? Because that was what he wanted – a power that laid dormant inside her, a power he wanted to bend to serve his purpose. Skylar had seen it in his mind during restless dreams. But what power did she have that would serve a vampire-mage? It was the question Skylar knew she had to answer; and only one person could help her answer it. It was time to leave South America.

AN: Thanks to those who added this story as a favorite or alert – and an extra big thanks with a hunky Carpathian on top to the three people who left lovely comments!! I hope you like this chapter – I have good stuff coming up for the next one – so stay tuned!!


	6. Chapter 6

**(lotsa) Business first! **

**This is a fixed version – I went back, read, & found errors, but (in my defense) I was writing this at 1 am under compulsion from my muse! **

**Thanks to all of you who have stuck through my frequent hiatuses. I do sincerely apologize, but I would rather write nothing at all than write something hastily thrown together without thought & care put into it. Luckily my muse has returned (thank you Twilight angst) and since I am on break from school, I am really going to try to get this story told! Thanks also to my wonderful reviewers. I always appreciate the encouragement. Finally, thanks to all those alerting or "fav"ing my story. I infer from your actions that you are enjoying what I have done so far and I hope I continue to intrigue & entertain you. (At a much faster rate, if possible!!!)**

**I have fixed some errors I noted while rereading previous chapters. Thank you to those who pointed them out to me. **

**Just an FYI . . . smut ensues in this chapter, so if you don't like it (which I can't imagine if you read Christine Feehan!) or you are too young to read it, exit now!!!**

**Just a reminder (in case anyone forgets) I don't own the 'verse, I just like playing here!!! **

**And now, on with the show!**

Dawn was swiftly approaching. Dimitri moved quickly to check that all of the wolf pairs were safely denned with their pups. His world was bleaker now than it had ever been; his loneliness more desolate. Each day his ache grew deeper, stronger. Skylar would be returning to Europe on the next rising. Though her memories of the past would never fade, she had made her peace with them. She was stronger now than when he had left her in the Carpathian Mountains. As the traumas that had bound her heart and soul had been discarded her mage power had grown. Her touch in his mind was no longer a tentative brush; now it was more like a flood that swept through him. In those moments when they connected he could almost feel her beside him. It caused both intense pain and intense pleasure. Having her so geographically close was going to be torture. He felt her touching his mind; her words echoing clearly in his brain.

_Dimitri, are you alright? _

_I am fine my love, just thinking of you; of how soon you will be so close, yet still so far from me. _

_So that is why you are so conflicted. Why do you endure your torment alone? Though I know I am both cause and solution, why do you not reach out to me? At the very least, you should call for the healer. Why do you not call to any of your people?_

_It has been long since I have called to anyone or been called to._

_Ahem?_

_Besides you, of course; but speaking with you is different. We are one person, two halves of one whole. _ He felt her husky laugh whisper along the edges of her mind and his pain eased a little. As he entered his house, he thought to elude the questions he knew were coming. A number of excuses were available to him, but they all seemed superfluous. He sighed mentally as she asked the question he dreaded.

_What happened to you Dimitri? Why did you leave your homeland and your people?_

_What does it matter now? It is over Skylar; it happened centuries ago. _

_How can you say that Dimitri, when it still rules your life? You know everything about me, every painful detail past and present, yet you continue to shut me out of yourself. How can we be equal partners if you constantly shield yourself from me?_

_It really does not matter._

_It matters to me. _She settled back in her bed & closed her eyes. Her voice sounded strong and commanding in his head._ Tell me a bedtime story Dimitri._

With a sigh he continued, his voice resonating so clearly in her head it was as if he were beside her, whispering in her ear.

_When I was a youth, I thought that the world was my playground. Though I was slightly older, I played often with Jacques and Byron. When I had lived 140 years, it was as if our world had gone mad! Our Prince and his lifemate were dead and Mikhail had taken up the reins with the help of the older Daratrazanoff brothers. Jacques, Byron, and I could feel the unease in the air. One day a few months after Prince Vlad was killed; I came home to find my father bent over my mother wailing as if in pain. At first I could not understand what had happened; and then he turned towards me and I saw my father's face. Her blood dripped from his mouth and covered his clothing. His eyes were gleaming red. I do not know what happened, but my father had turned vampire and killed my mother. In that moment, I knew that he would kill me too. To this day I do not know what happened next. I should have died at my father's hand; instead he died at mine. After that, I knew that I had to leave. I came to Russia and I lived with the wolves. I had very little contact with Carpathians until I was called to you at Christmas._

_Didn't it hurt you, to be alone so young?_

_Skylar, I did what was necessary. There was no other option for me._ Though he did not want to, Dimitri opened his whole mind to her and allowed her to see and feel everything that he had held inside for centuries.

Skylar felt the tears on her cheeks as the reason for his loneliness, pain, and regrets became clear to her at last. The hurt she felt in him was more than she could have imagined. Skylar longed in that moment to touch him, to hold him, to allow him to share the burden with her.

_You should not cry for me lubyof maya. _

Skylar inhaled a deep, calming breath and breathed in the scent of . . . him! Her eyes opened wide in shock and sure enough, there he stood, tall and intimidating, not 100 yards from her. At first she could do nothing but stand and drink in the welcome sight of him as her heart beat off-kilter in her chest.

_How are you here? _

_I cannot answer your question little one, I did not bring us to this place. You did._

_Are you mad? I couldn't have brought us here! _

_But you did, my love. I have no ability to bridge minds. What you have done is an unusual thing. It takes a great deal of magic to bring two people together from across continents._

For the first time Skylar looked around her and discovered that she was no longer in her room. They were standing about a foot apart in the middle of a clearing. The grass beneath her feet was soft and warm. She felt paralyzed, though she longed to run to him. Suddenly she knew why they were here and the knowledge liberated her. She walked towards him until she stood directly in front of him. He looked wonderful; his piercing blue eyes held her captive.

_Dimitri, I have to ask you for something; a favor. I want . . . what I mean is that I . . . I have worked very hard to heal and I want to know, you know; if it worked, I mean._

_I think what you are asking me is if I will touch you, here in this dream-world._

_Well, if you would rather wait until . . . _

"Lubyof maya" he said in a low voice that accentuated his unsteady breathing "there is nothing I want more than to touch you." As he ran his hands tentatively over her cheeks and threaded his fingers through her hair, Skylar allowed her eyes to fall shut and her body to soak up the sensation of his feather-light kisses on her cheeks, her forehead, her eyelids.

Dimitri could hardly believe that she had brought them together in this place outside of space and time. Had it not been for the sensuous feel of her hair slipping between his fingers, he might have convinced himself that he was truly dreaming. The bright colors assaulted his eyes as he painstakingly tried to memorize each one of her beautiful features. He leaned down to gently kiss her face, keeping his lips feather-light against her skin. As he pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth he felt her lips part and her hands slid up his chest. He felt their hearts beat synchronously as he claimed her mouth.

Skylar felt as if she was drowning. The kiss was everything she remembered from the year before. She felt Dimitri's large hands cupping the back of her head, holding her in place while his thumbs feathered along her cheekbones. Skylar ran her hand over his rock hard chest and gripped the front of his shirt in a desperate attempt to keep a grip on reality. When he broke the kiss her mind protested, but he tipped her head to the side and continued his assault in her neck. With what seemed to Skylar infinite patience, Dimitri explored her neck, seeking out every sensitive curve and hollow. Skylar felt her body begin to burn as his hands left her face to caress up and down her arms, his thumbs reaching out to tantalizingly caress the sides of her breasts with each pass. The slight trembling in his hands was the only indication of the tenuous hold he had on his control.

Just when she thought she would go mad from the torturous pace he had set, his hand came around to caress her breast through the fabric of her simple white cotton shirt. She nearly screamed as his palm passed over her already engorged nipples, but his mouth was there to catch her moan. Skylar felt his control slipping as she gave herself over to him, mind, body, and soul. He ripped her shirt over her head and bent her over backwards as he ravaged her sensitive breasts. This time Skylar did scream; the feelings of nearly unbearable pleasure coursing through her veins. Never had she felt such intense sexual pleasure. His mouth was relentless. She felt the heat coiling low in her abdomen; intensifying until she felt it washing though her whole body in an incredible release.

Feeling her body become limp, Dimitri lowered her down to the soft grass. After gently kissing her supple lips, Dimitri took up the assault again, determined to drive her to new heights; determined that every second they were apart she would remember him and be sure and confident in her own sexuality the day she came to him at last. As the thought of her in his home came into his thoughts he smiled against her skin. He kissed her fiercely and he ran one hand up and down her exquisite body. His other hand played gently with her hair. When he felt her breathing increase once again, he lifted his mouth from hers and began to kiss and caress his way down her body. Once again her worshiped the beauty of her breasts before moving on down to the gentle dips and curves of her abdomen. Her reaction to his touch along her hipbones fascinated him. Never in all his centuries had he imagined himself worth of such a treasure.

Skylar felt his gentle tug on her pajama bottoms. She knew that the moment had come. It both terrified and fascinated her. It had been amazing for her to feel the first orgasm roll gently though her body. Placing her complete trust in Dimitri, she lifted her hips and allowed him to guide that final barrier away from her body. The gentle whisper of the fabric against her skin had her pulse racing again.

Skylar had thought that once he had her unclothed he would simply pounce; she was surprised when she felt his hand gently caressing her feet and calves. His mouth soon joined them as he worked his way slowly and deliberately up her legs. Skylar shivered as he lightly but the skin on the inside of her left knee, then gently soothed it with his tongue. His pace was torturous. His hands ran lightly up her inner thighs and she nearly groaned with disappointment as he bypassed her throbbing center to caress her stomach. But in that instant she felt his cool breath over her. She nearly came apart with the first deliberate stroke of his tongue. No one had ever touched her like this. The heat built furiously inside of her as his tongue explored her; laving, stabbing sucking. Skylar was nearly sobbing when his hands returned to her warmth and began to caress her. She felt the swirling heat as he thrust his fingers into her wet heat. The pressure was too much; Skylar's back bowed as she let out a long, keening scream. Dimitri continued to stroke his fingers within her and lave her clit, prolonging her orgasm as few more precious seconds. As she came back down, Skylar felt Dimitri wrap her gently in his arms as he continues to stroke his hands soothingly up and down her back, his face buried in her hair.

_Lubyof maya, you must send us back now, the dawn approaches._

Skylar pulled back to study his strained features.

"But," she began, unsure of how to phrase the question. "You, I mean, I, that is to say, must we separate so soon?"

"Yes, I can feel my body drawing me back; but I cannot go unless you release us."

"Then we must go." She looked around quickly, unsure of where her clothing might have been discarded. Dimitri brought her shirt and gently helped her to dress, his caress light against her sensitive skin. Skylar's cheeks tinged with color and she averted her gaze as she voiced the question she could not keep inside. "I'm sorry. You were not, um, satisfied."

Dimitri let his hand caress her cheek before lifting her chin so that he could look into her beautiful blue eyes. He did not like the uncertainty he saw there, nor the insecurity he felt in her heart. Everything he had done was for her. _Lubyof maya, my heart, I am most satisfied. I have heard you screams of ecstasy and felt you tremble against my mouth. _

_But you did not . . . _

_When I take your body for the first time, my angel, it will be in the real world, not a dream. You and I will have no less than absolute perfection._

Skylar felt the laughter well up inside her at that arrogant statement. Only Dimitri would say something so audacious at such a moment!

"How do I release us then?"

"The same way that you brought us together."

"Well, that's helpful since I have no idea how I did that; and my brain wasn't even befuddled at the time." Dimitri let out a shout of laughter at that statement,

"Well, my little befuddled love, why don't you try closing your eyes and imagining us apart; you in your bed and me in the foyer of my house." Skylar closed her eyes and did as he suggested, but nothing happened.

"You must hurry Skylar, I can feel myself weakening with the sunrise. I need to return and close myself in the soil."

With everything she had inside her Skylar grabbed hold of Dimitri and kissed him. She poured her heart and soul into the kiss, all the while focusing on the need for each of them to return to reality. She felt his lips become a phantom touch and with regret she opened her eyes to her lonely bedroom. Immediately her mind reached out for him and felt him meet her halfway.

_All is well, my love. I am here and I am going to ground now. Sleep and dream of me._

_Goodnight, mi amor. _Her last words were whispered, but she felt him smile as their connection faded. Skylar lay down and dreamed sweetly, just as Dimitri had commanded.


	7. Chapter 7

**Happy holidays to all!! My muse is being friendly! Even though it is short, I hope you all enjoy this chapter & the changes I have made to previous chapters! Please remember that I am not C.F., so don't sue me!!! I only write for fun!!!**

He awoke in the ground and for the first time in months he did not reach for her immediately. His mind was still reeling from the events of the dawn before. He could still taste her on his tongue and the lingering memory made his body harden anew. It had been the most exquisite torture to be with her, to touch her without taking anything for himself. It had taken every ounce of will power to resist taking her then, but he wanted more for her. He even wanted more for himself. Experiencing her coming apart for him, knowing that she had never experienced sexual fulfillment before he had given it had left Dimitri with an intense satisfaction.

Everything about her had been perfection. The beat of her heart had drawn him in; the softness of her skin had soothed him even as her scent had driven him to a fevered frenzy. She had reacted to him with no reservations. He had thought she would struggle to accept his touch, but instead she had been open to him in every way. Every movement, every moan had been manna to his starving soul. Now more than ever, he had reason to hope. He knew now with utter certainty that she would come to him.

Though he knew that as lifemates they were bound together by a force outside of the physical world, that their destiny to be together had been written in the heavens long before any of them had ever set foot on the Earth; he had not known that he could feel so deeply for another person. It had been so much simpler when only her blood had called to him to claim her in the ancient way of his people. But he had sworn to act with honor, so he had left her there on the promise of one kiss. The year he had spent in her mind had led him to want more from their relationship. He had wanted her love, in return for which he would give her honesty, loyalty, and protection. Now he saw that he could not escape the reality that moved through him with every beat of his heart; a reality that liberated him from every past guilt and elevated him above the pain if years of solitude. He loved her.

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Dimitri was with her throughout her night of travel, alert to any sign of attack. Gabriel had chartered a private red-eye flight for them from Rio De Janairo to Prague, the city where Natalya and her lifemate Vikirnoff currently called home. Though he knew his vigilance would annoy Gabriel, Dimitri could no nothing else while Skylar was in the slightest danger. Beyond that, he enjoyed being in her mind, teasing her and being teased, and feeling her blush when he mentioned their interlude the sunrise before. The magic she had performed continued to amaze her; and it made her more determined than ever to unlock the full depth of her mage-power. Though Dimitri had felt the powers stirring deep within her before, this night it was distinct. It was as if the magic she had done to bring them together had unleashed the floodgates of her power. He was very glad that she went to her aunt's.

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Skylar awoke in a new place; the sounds of the rainforest did not greet her here. Instead she heard the sounds of cars whooshing by over the wet pavement. The dawn before, she had been too exhausted to do more than greet her aunt before falling into the plush four-poster bed provided for her. Now she called on Dimitri and led him through her detailed exploration of her room. It was decorated in an ornate old world style that smacked of culture and opulence. It was easier to imagine him here with her in this place than it had been in Brazil; a fact which caused a deep pain in both their chests which only mutual understanding helped to ease.

She could have brought them together again, she knew; but Skylar had sworn to herself that she would not. It had been torture to let him go the first time and she did not know if she had enough power in her to let him go were she ever to have him close again. Desire for him had always been the easiest. Even against her will and better judgment, the call of lifemates had drawn her to him physically, sexually. Coming to like and respect him had been inevitable. He had a keen and witty mind and a sense of dignity and honor that went straight to his bones. Even her father Gabriel was not as absolutely perfectly honorable the way Dimitri was; Dimitri would rather die or be an outcast than act without honor. And because she knew he would never break his word to her, she trusted him. In the weeks before she had brought them together something strange had begun to happen to her. It was almost as if she was not herself without him in her mind. And after he had touched her body; after he had taken her to an ecstasy she could never have imagined she knew that something had changed in her irrevocably. She loved him.


End file.
